Jewish Community Center of Chicago

Press Releases

JCC of Chicago Appoints New General Director

Martin Levnine January 10, 2008

Jewish Community Centers of Chicago (JCC) will be getting a new General Director - the highest professional position in the agency -- as of February 1, 2008. Martin Levine, now the Associate General Director, started with JCC in 1976 as Assistant Executive Director of the Bernard Horwich Jewish Community Center in West Rogers Park. He moved up to become Assistant General Director of the JCC agency, and then Associate General Director. He has played a key role in most of JCC's major initiatives during his three decades of JCC service.

Skokie, Ill. – The JCC’s Young Actors Ensemble will offer six performances of Seussical™, a lively musical that weaves together the stories and characters from 15 of Dr. Seuss’ most popular children’s books, from November 8–18, 2007 at the Mayer Kaplan JCC.
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Jennifer Berkson Zislis Appointed JCC Elaine Frank Apachi Day Camp Director

September 11, 2007

(Lake Zurich, IL) - The eagerly awaited Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Chicago's Elaine Frank Apachi (EFA) Day Camp on Old McHenry Road near Route 22, scheduled to open in the summer of 2008, has its first Director. Ms. Jennifer Berkson Zislis, the current Assistant Director of JCC's "Z" Frank Apachi (ZFA) Day Camp in Northbrook, has been appointed as the new Director of the EFA Day Camp.

The new EFA camp will be the 9th day camp that JCC operates in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. The EFA camp plans to serve approximately 400 children from 4 years old through 6th grade during its first summer. The camp is located on a 37 acre site and is a joint project of the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and Jewish Community Centers of Chicago.

How do you play baseball in a skirt?

August 21, 2007

Camp Chi and the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute explore the history of Jewish Female Athletes through an exclusive touring exhibit

(Lake Delton, WI) - The Jewish Community Centers (JCC) of Chicago's Camp Chi was the only camp in the country this summer to host the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute's (HBI) traveling exhibit "Jewish + Female = Athlete". The HBI's exhibit was the focal point of JCC's Camp Chi Girls Sports Camp this year and served as a launching point for discussions about the contributions of Jewish Women in the field of athletics.

Assistant Camp Director, Jamie Lake, structured 4 Judaic programs specifically geared for this topic. The 4 programs included "The Story of Judith Deutsch" (an Austrian swimmer who protested the 1936 Berlin Olympics), "How Times Have Changed for Jewish Women in Tennis" (a comparative study of two Jewish female tennis players from the 1950's and today), "What Does it Mean to be a Female Jewish Athlete" (a Jewish values exercise), and "How Many Can You Name?" (a brainstorming session and discussion about the myths and realities of Jews and women in sports).